Reviews: Mannequin Hollowcaust, Raven, Sunken Cheek.

MANNEQUIN HOLLOWCAUST “Slow Infector” 7″
Head Destroyer Media / Stand Up Tragedy
First side of 7″ is very tasty. American project mixing vintage sounding synth/electronics with high pitched desperate vocals and constantly growing percussive metal junk. It has spontaneous feel, like live recording. I like the airy sound quality. It starts to blur and blent together closer to end of track, but each sound element remains very distinctive.
B-side has extremely broken sounding loop, like piezzo contact microphone receiving too hard physical abuse and creating broken distorted signal. Fierce crackling electronics and growing element of harsh blasting ends to locked groove.
While boosting everything to loud saturated block of noise could make it appear louder, his style of leaving very coarse and “unfinished” sound contributes everything sound more handmade and raw. (MA)

RAVEN “A Comprehensive Guide To Dismantling The Weapons Of Mass Destruction” 7″
Dry Lungs Records
A-side feels like plagued with horrid low bitrate effects and kind of amateurish “computer noises”, but listening it again, I started to feel there is something else here. Transitions from sound to another are quite awkward and blunt. Same for nearly old style PC tracker sounding noise (not sure if they are), but as soon as everything is covered in more high pitched distortion, it becomes tolerable. Sheer untrendy ruggedness is what creates the charm.
However, more laid back and dark B-side is what gave indication that there is more there than standing out with clumsiness. Ultra heavy bassy noises rumbled amazing low for 7″ format. Coarse static distortion noises on top. At the same time makes me ask why exactly this 7″ is published and realize that because it is what it is, it provoked much more reaction than just usual good noise slab. (MA)

Sunken Cheek “Prince of Mind / Husk” 7″
Torn Light
Excellent noise drone! It has the elegance of slowly flowing drone, yet textural abundance and sonic power of noise. Sharp feedbacks, fierce distorted harsh assaults, deep humming sounds. Rotten in good way. Free flowing in good way. Distant and echoing in the most brilliant sense. My only negative remark could be directed to obvious fact, that both songs start and stop abruptly. Like being cut out from longer pieces. Not edit of best moments put together, but one portion of piece you now don’t know how it started or ended. The way its been cut, makes this element obvious. Neat silkscreened covers. Certainly hope to hear more of this. (MA)